Chapter Twelve
The clap ofthunder and Fallon’s blood-curdling scream brought Diablo to his feet. Flicking his gaze to the window, a flash of lightning sparked through the blinds, and then another boom shook the sky. Fallon moaned and tossed in her sleep. Diablo went over to her, sitting next to her as he ran his fingers through her damp hair.
“No. Don’t. Stop. Get away from me,” she moaned, thrashing her head from side to side. Diablo took his hand away but her distress only increased; then he realized she wasn’t talking to him. Some bad things in the dark corners of her mind had snuck out while she slept to torment her.
“No. No!” she screamed again, and Diablo drew her close to him, pushing back the hair that stuck to her sweaty face. In sleep, she clung to him, trembling like a fragile reed. He leaned down and kissed her hair, holding her tightly.
After a few seconds, the demons that had come out to wreak havoc seemed to have scattered back to their shadowed parts of her memory.
Resting against the wooden headboard, he stared vacantly at the light show seeping in through the slats covering his window.Something bad hurt her.Sighing, he looked down at her, her face now peaceful; it seemed as though she’d weathered the internal storm.
“What’s going on with you?” he muttered under his breath. His gaze flicked to the clock on the wall above the dresser; it was six thirty in the morning. He laid his head back against the wall. He couldn’t believe he’d behaved the entire night. Several times he’d woken up and looked over at her soft form in his bed, and it’d taken all his strength to stay in the recliner. If it were any other woman, he would’ve been banging them without any thought, but with Fallon, he wanted her to come to him because shedesiredhim, not because she feltobligated.
What the fuck am I doing, anyway? I don’t have any business fucking up her life. She’s already got enough shit to deal with. I’m not looking for a relationship. Lucy and Maria suit me just fine. Easy without commitment is perfect for me.
But he couldn’t stop thinking about Fallon. There was something about her that drew him in. Maybe it was because they were both twisted and broken by all the shit that hurt them in their past. Maybe that was the tie that pulled them together. He wasn’t sure, but he knew he wanted to spend a lot more time with Fallon.
The minutes passed into hours, and he didn’t even know he’d fallen asleep until a knock on his door woke him up. Fallon was still curled around him. He smiled as he untangled her arms, then went to see who was knocking.
Sangre stood there, a smirk on his clean-shaven face. “Steel’s called church in thirty minutes.”
“Thanks. I’ll be there.” Diablo ran his hand over his face, suppressing a yawn. Sangre just stood there. “Is there something else?”
“No.”
Diablo knew he wanted to ask him about Fallon. “Then I’ll see you at church.” He closed the door, chuckling at the disappointment on Sangre’s face. He knew all the brothers would be dying to know what the deal with Fallon was. The brothers teased him about not fucking every club woman, hang-around, or citizen who shook her ass his way. He heard the hushed voices when he’d stand drinking at a party, then go up to his room alone. He never understood why they were all so interested in how many women he stuck his cock into, but they were.
The talk around the pool table and the bar always centered on Harleys, booze, and pussy—in that order. He was the only one who almost never talked about women. It wasn’t his style. What he did with Lucy and Maria was between him and them. He knew he was an anomaly among the brothers, but he’d never been one to talk about the women he bedded.
“How long have you been up?” Fallon asked.
He turned around and took her in: sleep-filled eyes, mussed-up hair, glowing skin.She’s fuckin’ beautiful.“Not too long. I got church soon. I’m gonna take a shower.”
“Church? On a Wednesday morning?”
He sniggered. “Church means a meeting in biker lingo.”
“That’s weird.” She covered her mouth and yawned wide.
“I’ll be out in fifteen minutes.”
Freshly showered, he came out with a blue towel wrapped around his waist. Fallon was still in his T-shirt, standing by the window and looking out. He came behind her and wrapped his arm around her waist, kissing the top of her head. “It’s a fuckin’ deluge out there.” Sheets of water and graphite-smudged skies made the desert landscape seem more desolate than usual. “You can go down to the kitchen if you’re hungry. Just tell Lena you’re with me and she’ll treat you nice.”
“How long’s your meeting?”
He pulled away, took a pair of blue jeans off the wall hook, and put them on. “I don’t know. It could be twenty minutes or several hours.” He slid his belt through the loops.
“I’ll freshen up. I should really go home.”
“Not in this rainstorm you’re not. Wait for it to pass and then see what you wanna do. I got some extra toothbrushes in the bottom drawer of the vanity.”
“Thanks. Do you stock up for times when a strange woman ends up spending the night in your room?”
“Nope. I stock up ’cause I grew up never having enough of anything. Now I got toothbrushes, toothpaste, shampoo, and a ton of other shit stuffed in my drawers, closet, and a storage shed I have out back. See how a bad childhood can fuck you up?” He winked at her, then tugged his T-shirt over his head.
“I’m the queen of life fucking me up.”
“It’s the way you handle the shit that makes the difference.” He pulled up his boots, then came over to her. “Promise you’ll wait until I get back.”
